Method of treating waste fibrous material



F IUUI COATING OR PLASTIC UNITED; STATES UFOSS llBlBlBfiCB 1,528,224 PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC minors, or SAN METHOD OF TREATING WASTE FIBBOUS MATERIAL.

{No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC NAYLOR, a sub- I jectof the King of England, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and Stateof California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating'VVaste Fibrous Material, of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to a method of treating waste fibrous material to produce The term fibrous wgFtg is to include banana stalks, corn sta rs, rice hulls, ba

an impervious solidified and fire resisting body as a substitute for wood for all the usages of the latter, and more particularly in the use of manufacturing kegs, barrels, drums, receptacles, crates, boxes, laths, fiooring, roofing, shingles, wall boards, and for any other purposes for which a product derived from the hereinafter described method can be employed.

'asse, cotton and toliaccos tallz s, waste paper an'd"anv' other character of was e orous materia s.

The product derived from the method as hereinafter referred to, consists of a solidified'imp'ervious fire resisting body of unusual strength and hardness formed from a 30 mass of comminuted contracted waste fibrous material having inherentbinding and solidifying characteristics. In carrying out the method for treating fibrous waste in accordance with this invention, a body or quantity of the fibrous waste material such as banana stalks, corn stalks, rice hulls, bagas'se 'or cotton or tobacco stalks, or waste paper, or any other waste fibro'us material is 'first dried completely, after which it is submto a Ting e material into small particles. After the material has been reduced into small particles, it is sifted under the action of element can be of an ing to the texture 1s ed .I not des ness or ar eness o v o a ices. Tmmmfling element or screen is to be governed with res ect to the texture, weight and strength of t e product desired.

Certain waste fibrous materials have withuitable siz the solu 10D W1 0: e. m strength. ThlS solution is run 111% the dry groun uid pressure, and the 'mesh of the sifting ecomes very minute, and in connection with the larger fibers .broken down during the grinding action, to a small mesh size, acts as a filer so that the ultimate product is strong and unusually dense. The waste fibrous material which contains the pith or short fiber, is of the stalk family, however, any of the waste fibrous materials containing long or short fiber, or long fiber alone,

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4 Application filed October 23, 1923. Serial No. 670,842. 71 J in them a pith ora short fiber and durin the process 0 grinding the pith or short 'ber,

can be reduced by the grinding action to a powder state.

After the waste fiber has been reduced to the fineness for the purpose desired, it is supplied to a large vat or tank treated with a solution in the proportions of and half silicate g p waste fibrous material in suflicient quantity 0 ring t e materia into a state of liquidati I n: h ease. In or er at the ground waste rous material be thoroughly saturated, that is impregnated so an be em 10 ed, dthe material run from one va 0 e 0 er and subjected to the solution during a state of agitation for a period of two or three hours, and after the agitating operation the saturated material through and throh, several vats ortanks is allowed to stand for a period of twoor three hours.

After the saturated or impregnated material has stood for a period of two or three hours, it is subjected to dry steam for the purpose of evaporating the water off until the liquid remaining is reduced to a density of about 40 B., and after which it is agitated or stirred until'the mass becomes of thick muddy consistency.

thick mudd mass is then run into suitable'mixmg machines of that type employed in mixing dough for bread or crackers. After being supplied to the mixer, there is added to the -mass one-third by eight of iili'cate of soda at a strength of 0 B. e. mlxer is t en operated lit ii moderately high speed for a period of fifteen or twenty minutes, or for such time until the material assumes a dough-like consistency. At this point the speed of the mixer is reduced and the mixer is operated at low speed until the batch or mass has assumed a omogeneous state of "a charac- 50 closed space containing "E an-W 5 After the formed artic e as been thor- 'teristic that it will not break or crack when of thoroughly setting the impervious coatpressing or squeezing a handful of the ing. When sub ecting the article to the mass. bath, orwater and bicarbonate of soda, 1t

When .the mass has been brou ht to a is carried through the baththrough means 5 homogenous state possessing the c aracterof rollers, and the passage of the article istics referred to, it is read to as through through both of the baths is carried out \/forming mach' to produce an article of very rapidly.

msnmfifior form, and after beingsubmitted to the forming machines the ma- 1 terial is discharged from such machine a. plastic condition, not elastic, but poxessing a characteristic that it can be pulled or rolled toa degree without cracking, breaking or sticking. The formed article n 1 plastic condition, whether such article is a keg, drum, barrel, wall boards, flooring, roofing, shingles or crates, is then subjected to 110'; live air impregnated with carbonic acid gas 12y passing the article at the. I desired rate of speed through a suitable enmethod consists of an impervious solidified fire resisting body of unusual strength and hardness, free from all brittleness and'obtained without the employment of external pressure to increas e ensi e same, as the article or material intion thereof by the contraction of the fibrous material during the removal of the silicate acid or gaseous or vaporous matter.

Although the preferred embodiment of a method of treating waste fibrous material to produce a substitue for wood, in accordance with this invention, is as described, yet it is to be understood that changes and modifications of the steps of the method can be resorted to which will fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

What I claim is 1. A method of treating vegetable fibrous waste to produce a solidified body to form a substitute for wood, comprising the reducing of a body of vegetable fibrous waste into a mass of small particles, then thoroughly impregnatin .the particles of the mass with a solution 0 silicate of soda, then bringing the mass to a mud-like consistency, then kneading the mass with. the addition thereto of silicate of soda to form a dough-like body of non-cracking characteristic, and then providing forthe contraction and solidifying of said dough-like body by removing therefrom gaseous and other foreign matter, whereby the density of said body is increased, causing the contraction and solidification thereof. I

2. A method of treating vegetable fibrous waste to produce a solidified body to form a substitute for wood, comprising the reducing of a body of vegetable fibrous waste into hot air and gas, a mass of small particles, then thoroughly because .llLfl e-fibell ur-like conimpregnatin the particles of the mass with sa solution 0 silicate of soda, then bringing o ater densit t an 1 1 e were the mass to a mud-like consistency, then kneading the mass with the addition thereto of silicate of soda to form a dough-like bod of non-cracking characteristic, then provi mg for the contraction and solidifyin of ar omc aci pon the material to release the silicate 2 acid and other gaseous or vaporoii'sm an in connection with the hot live air causes the contraction of the article, or rather the solidification thereof and thereby increases its density.

If the article after it has passed through the enclosure space provided with the hot live air impregnated with carbonic acid as, has not become thoroughly dried, it is t en dried in any suitable manner, as stored in drying sheds for such purpose.

The time of subjecting the material to the live hot air combined with the carbonic acid gas, depends upon the thickness of the body of the article, by way of example, an

40 article having its body of a thickness of one-fourth inch wouldbe subjected to the .hot air and gas for a period of from twenty to thirty minutes. If the body of the article is thicker than that as stated, the period of subjecting the article to the hot air and .gas would be greater. Further, the period to which the article is subjected tothe hot air and gas also depends upon the density of the article when it first enters the enclosure to which is supplied the hgcgt hye air im )re nate 1th carbonic am as. Iliefi- [5 gas W1 1 e o oughly dried, it is passed through a bath consistin of hot silicate of soda of 40 Fe,

' with the addition of 25% water, and it is conducted through tmfthe means 00 of rollers. This bath provides the article with an i1 1pe ;v;ious coatin 7 When the articlens removed from the bath it is then thoroughly dried and then subjected to a bath'consistingpf v ater 5 l 1% bicarbonate of s5da or the purpose gaseous and other foreign matter, whereby, the density of said body is increased, caus ing the contraction and solidification thereof, and then forming the solidified body imperviable by subjecting it to an impervious rendering material.

The resultant product from the foregoing herently increases the density of solidifica-.

said dough-like body by removing there om 3. A method of treating vegetable fibrous MOSS waste to produce a solidified body as a substitute for wood, comprising the reducing of a body of vegetable fibrous waste into a stitute for wood, comprising mass of small particles, then thoroughly impregnating the particles of'the mass with a solution of silicate of soda, then bringing the mass .to a mud-like consistency, then kneadin the mass with the addition thereto of cate of soda to form a dough-like body of non-cracking characteristic, and then subjecting said dough-like body, while free of external plgessure, to live hot air combined with car nic acid gas to remove the gaseous and other foreign matter therefrom, thereby increasing the density of, drying and solidifying said body.

4. method of treating vegetable fibrous waste to produce a solidified shaped body, comprising the reducing of a body of vegetable fibrous waste into a mass of small particles, then thoroughly impregnating the particles of the mass with a solution of silicate of soda, then bringing the mass to a mud-like consistency, then kneading the mass with the addition thereto of silicate of soda to from a dough-like body of noncracking characteristic, then shaping the dough-like body, and then removing from the shaped dough-like body gaseous and other foreign matter to contract the body to increase the density thereto and to solidify the same.

- 5. A method of treatin vegetable fibrous waste to produces. solidi ed body 'as a subthe subjecting of a mass of small part-ic es of vegetable fibrous waste to an alkaline solution, then bringing such treated mass to a mud-like consistency, then kneadin the mass with the addition thereto of an alinesolution to HBTGFEDCB form a dough-like body of non-cracking characteristic, and then subjecting said dough-like body while free of external pressure toilive hot air combined with carbonic acid gas to remove therefrom ous and other foreign matter, whereby sa1d body will have the density thereof .increased, solidified and dried. a

6. A method of treating waste ve table fibrous material to provlde a woo substitute, comprising the oomminuting of the waste to provide a mass of small particles, then formin said mass into a shaped plastic dough-like y ssessing a non-cracking characteristic, an then passing said shape plastic dough-like body while free of -external pressure through live hot air combined with carbonic acid gas to remove all gaseous and other foreign matter therefrom,- whereby said body will have its densit increased b contraction and further soli tied and drie 7. A method of treating waste vegetable fibrous material to provide a woodsubstitute, comprising the comminuting of the waste to provide a mass of small particles, then forming said mass into a shaped'pl'astic dough-like body possessing a non-crackin characteristic, then said shap y while plastic dough-like ternal pressure through live hot air combined with carbonic acid gas to remove all us and other foreign matter therefrom, whereby said body will have its densit increased b contraction and further soli ed and drie and then rendering said solidified In testimony hereto.

ISAAC NAYLOR.

free of ex-.

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